Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump appeared on Alex Jones' program, where Trump praised Jones as having an "amazing" reputation and promised, "I will not let you down." Jones is America's leading conspiracy theorist -- he believes the government was behind 9-11 and several other catastrophes.

Jones' website Infowars.com has called him "one of the very first founding fathers of the 9-11 Truth Movement," which believes the government was behind the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Jones has also pushed conspiracy theories about the Oklahoma City bombing, the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, the Boston Marathon bombing, and several mass shootings.

Jones and Trump heavily praised each other during the December 2 interview. Jones claimed Trump has been "vindicated" about his false 9-11 U.S. Muslims celebration claim, said "90 percent" of his audience supports Trump, and told the candidate he's "shown your knowledge of geopolitical systems." Jones went on to say that Trump is "a true maverick," and "what you're doing is epic. It's George Washington level." Trump returned the favor, telling Jones: "Your reputation's amazing. I will not let you down."

Jones concluded the interview by saying to Trump, "You will be attacked for coming on. We know you know that. Thank you."

Alex Jones Thinks The Government Was Behind Tragedies Like 9/11, Oklahoma City Bombing, And Boston Marathon Attack

Alex Jones is America's leading conspiracy theorist.

Immediately after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, by his own account, Jones "went on the air and said, 'Those were controlled demolitions. You just watched the government blow up the World Trade Center.'" He believesthat "the official story" of 9/11 is "a fable" and "the only explanation" for 9/11 is that it was an "inside job."

The Anti-Defamation League wrote that "Jones may currently well be the most prominent conspiracy theorist in the United States" and "reached prominence in the years after the 9/11 terror attacks, as he became one of the most energetic of the 'truthers,' the conspiracy theorists who believe that the 9/11 attacks were an 'inside job' by the U.S. government." The Southern Poverty Law Center wrote that Jones is "almost certainly the most prolific conspiracy theorist in contemporary America."

In addition to his 9/11 conspiracies, Jones has promoted conspiracies about:

Oklahoma City Bombing. Jones has called the Oklahoma City bombing an "inside job" by the government designed to demonize conservatives.

Space Shuttle Columbia. Jones claimed that "globalists" were involved in the 2003 disaster, stating on his website: "I said that there was a very good chance that the globalists would do something horrible concerning the latest Colombia mission. Understand, the psychological warfare technicians do not even need to publicly blame Iraq for the Columbia disaster. It will serve as a distraction in the global press during the final weeks of war preparation in the gulf. It Will Serve The Dual Purpose Of Unifying The Country Behind President Bush as he grandstands."

New World Order's Extermination Plans. Jones believes that a New World Order (NWO) of secretive global elites is working behind the scenes to rule the world through an authoritarian government. A summary of the Jones film ENDGAME explains that the NWO plans to "exterminate 80% of the world's population, while enabling the elites to live forever with the aid of advanced technology."

Aurora And Sandy Hook Shootings. In 2013, Jones said the two mass shootings were staged: "You saw them stage Fast and Furious. Folks, they staged Aurora, they staged Sandy Hook. The evidence is just overwhelming. And that's why I'm so desperate and freaked out. This is not fun, you know, getting up here telling you this. Somebody's got to tell you the truth."

2011 Tucson Shooting. After Jared Lee Loughner murdered six people, and wounded then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), Jones toldRolling Stone: "The whole thing stinks to high heaven ... This kid Loughner disappeared for days at a time before the shooting? My gut tells me this was a staged mind-control operation. The government employs geometric psychological-warfare experts that know exactly how to indirectly manipulate unstable people through the media. They implanted the idea in his head by repeatedly asking, 'Is Giffords in danger?'"

Secret FEMA Camps. Jones sells a DVD titled, Police State 4: The Rise Of FEMA, which claims that "Jones conclusively proves the existence of a secret network of FEMA camps, now being expanded nationwide. The military-industrial complex is transforming our once free nation into a giant prison camp."

TimothyJohnson
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Timothy Johnson is a research fellow at Media Matters, where he has worked since April 2012, focusing on guns, public safety, and right-wing extremism. He previously worked at the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence's Legal Action Project and the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. He has a bachelor’s degree in art history from The George Washington University.